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Sexual assault accusation: Justice Ganguly resigns from WBHRC

January 6, 2014

Kolkata, Jan 6: Former Supreme Court judge, Justice A.K. Ganguly, who has been accused of sexual assault by a law intern, resigned on Monday from the West Bengal Human Rights Commission (WBHRC).

Earlier on Monday, Justice Ganguly had distanced himself from a public interest litigation (PIL) petition that was filed in the Supreme Court supporting him.

ganguly

The PIL was filed by Delhi-based doctor M Padma Narayan Singh in the Supreme Court, seeking a direction to restrain the government from taking any action against Justice Ganguly. But the Supreme Court rejected the petition on Monday.

The petitioner had also sought a quashing of the report in which a three-member panel of Supreme Court judges indicted Justice Ganguly for unwelcome behaviour against the woman law intern.

The three-judge Supreme Court committee probing the complaint filed by the law intern against Justice Ganguly said that there was prima facie evidence.

The three-judge panel, which heard testimonies submitted its report to the Chief Justice of India, P. Sathasivam, naming Justice Ganguly as the accused.

It is the first time that the Supreme Court has set up an internal inquiry into sexual harassment allegations against a presiding or former judge.

Justice Ganguly is the Chairman of Human Rights Commission in West Bengal and has presided over numerous cases involving crimes against women during his career as a judge.

The intern’s allegations created a media furore -- with female lawyers, politicians and activists calling for the country’s top court to investigate the incident and for the accused judge to be named publicly.

The case is one of a small but growing number in which victims of alleged sexual harassment have come forward to complain about powerful male superiors.

Activists say sexual harassment and abuse by powerful and privileged men is widespread in India, but few women have been willing to talk about it.

Ganguly undecided on resigning, dissociates from SC petition

Amid speculation that he is likely to resign as chairperson of the West Bengal Human Rights Commission (WBHRC) Justice (retd) Ashok Kumar Ganguly maintained his earlier stand on the issue on Monday.

Speaking to The Hindu Justice Ganguly said that he is “yet to decide” on his resignation from the WBHRC.

The retired Supreme Court judge who was in New Delhi on Sunday returned to the city early in the morning and attended office at the State’s human rights panel.

Asked about the comments made by Soli Sorabjee, former Attorney General that he is contemplating resigning from WBHRC Justice Ganguly replied, “I will not comment on the issue”.

Justice Ganguly dissociated himself from the petition filed in the Supreme Court to restrain the Centre from removing him as the chairperson of WBHRC. “I have nothing to with it (the petition)”, he said.

In a petition moved before the Supreme Court last week, the petitioner had alleged that Justice Ganguly was a victim of a conspiracy because as an arbitrator he had decided on a matter between All India Football Federation and Mohan Bagan, a prominent sports club of city.

“I am a supporter of Mohun Bagan. I have nothing against the club,” Justice Ganguly said.

Ever since the three -judge panel of the Supreme Court held last month that allegations of sexual harassment by a woman law intern against him disclose prima facie an act of unwelcome behaviour Justice Ganguly has been under pressure from several quarters to quit as the chairperson of WBHRC.

Earlier this month the Union Cabinet gave its nod for a Presidential Reference to the Supreme Court to remove him from the State’s human rights panel.

SC dismisses PIL to say proceedings

Earlier, the Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a PIL seeking its direction to stay all proceedings against its former judge A K Ganguly, who is facing allegations of sexual harassment.

A bench of Chief Justice P. Sathasivam and Justice Ranjan Gogoi dismissed the PIL, saying that it cannot interfere in the issue at this stage and law will take its course in the matter.

“We have gone through every word of your averments and prayers. We are not inclined to go into it. Its too early to say anything about it,” the bench said, adding that “let the law take its own course“.

The court was hearing a PIL, filed by a woman doctor and Delhi resident M Padma Narayan Singh, seeking quashing of the complaint on which a three-member panel of apex court judge indicted Justice Ganguly, Chairman of West Bengal Human Rights Commission, for unwelcome behaviour against a law intern.

The petitioner, who is a senior citizen, alleged that Ganguly has become a victim of conspiracy as he, as an arbitrator, had decided a matter between a prominent football club of Kolkata and All India Football Federation (AIFF) in which the intern had also participated.

The bench also dismissed another similar PIL filed on the issue.

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Agencies
February 10,2020

New Delhi, Feb 10: The government is set to privatise Central Electronics Ltd, a CPSE under the Department of Science and Technology, by selling its 100% stake with management control and has invited the Expression of Interest for the same by March 16.

The selected bidder will be required to lock in its shares for a period of three years during which it cannot undertake the sale of its stake in CEL, the PIM (Preliminary Information Memorandum) said.

"The government of India has 'in-principle' decided to disinvest 100 per cent of its equity shareholding in CEL (which is equivalent to 100 per cent of the total paid up equity share capital of CEL) through Strategic Disinvestment with transfer of management control (Strategic Disinvestment or Transaction)," DIPAM, the Disinvestment Department, said.

The process for the transaction has been divided into two stages, namely, Stage I and Stage II.

After BPCL and Air India, this is yet another CPSE which government is slated to privatise if it gets offers from bidders.

The government has set a challenging target of Rs 2.1 lakh crore disinvestment proceeds from CPSE sell-offs and IPOs, OFSs (Offer for sale) in the next fiscal and it going out all guns blazing to meet that target after revising this fiscal target of Rs 1.05 lakh crore to Rs 65,000 crore.

The Interested Bidders (which can also include employees of CEL) must have a minimum net worth of Rs 50 crore as on March 2019. DIPAM has released complete invitation Preliminary Information Memorandum (PIM) of CEL. Resurgent India Limited is the advisor to the Transaction.

CEL is a pioneer in the country in the field of Solar Photovoltaic (SPV) with the distinction of having developed India's first Solar cell in 1977 and first Solar panel in 1978 as well as commissioning India's first solar plant in 1992.

More recently, it has developed and manufactured the first crystalline flexible solar panel especially for use on the passenger train roofs in 2015.

Its solar products have been qualified to International Standards IEC 61215/61730. CEL is further working on development of a range of new and upgraded products for signaling and telecommunication in the railway sector.

In the SWOT analysis of the CPSE, DIPAM has stated under weakness that "the company has weak financial loss due to past losses, high manufacturing cost and non payment of dues by state nodal agencies affecting the financial position of the company".

The CPSE has adequate land for expansion, the SWOT analysis said adding "the CPSE faces threat of dumping of solar cells at very low rates which makes solar PV manufacturing industry unviable".

Entry of new players in the market for solar products and railway signalling systems also is cited as a threat.

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Agencies
July 30,2020

Mumbai, Jul 30: Counterfeiting incidents have increased 24 per cent in the country in 2019 over the previous year, creating an over Rs 1 lakh crore hole in the economy, according to a report.

The report also said counterfeiters are having a free run due to the pandemic-driven disruptions to organised supply chains and the resultant spike in consumer demand.

According to the report by ASPA, a self-regulated industry body of anti-counterfeiting and traceability solutions providers, counterfeiting has risen steadily in the last few years, and exploiting the pandemic as a cover for their activities.

Between February and April 2020, over 150 incidents of counterfeiting cases were reported, mostly about fake PPE kits, sanitisers and masks taking advantage of the high demand for these products, it noted.

"There was a 24 per cent increase in counterfeiting in 2019 over 2018, leading to the loss of more than Rs 1 lakh crore to the overall economy," said Nakul Pasricha, president of Authentication Solution Providers Association.

The association works with global authorities like the International Hologram Manufacturers Association, Counterfeit Intelligence Bureau of the Interpol, and domestic industry lobbies like Ficci, he said.

Counterfeiting is a universal issue and is 3.3 per cent of global trade, according to the OECD data, impacting social and economic development across the world.

The report lists the currency, FMCG, alcohol, pharma, documents, agriculture, infrastructure, automotive, tobacco, lifestyle and apparel, as the 10 sectors impacted most by counterfeiting.

Among these, currency, alcohol and FMCG continue to be the top three sectors with the highest counterfeiting in the last two years. The FMCG sector is most vulnerable, as counterfeit incidents rose 63 per cent between 2018 (79) and 2019 when the reported cases jumped to 129.

Within the states, the fakers have a free run in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bengal, Punjab, Jharkhand, Delhi, Gujarat, and Uttarakhand, calling for urgent actions to frame anti-counterfeiting policy measures.

According to the report, UP continues to be on top followed by Bihar, Rajasthan, and together these three states represent almost 45 per cent of all counterfeiting reported in the last two years.

What is more alarming is that counterfeiting is not limited to high-end luxury items today, as common everyday items as fake cumin seeds, mustard cooking oil, ghee, hair oils, soaps, baby care vaccines and medicines are aplenty in the markets.

"There is an urgent need for building and nurturing authentication ecosystems in the country with the active involvement and active participation of all stakeholders," said Pasricha.

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News Network
May 12,2020

New Delhi, May 12: A total of 12 special evacuation flights from across the globe will bring home stranded Indians on the sixth day of 'Vande Bharat Mission' on Tuesday.

The special flights include Air India flight from Manila to Ahmedabad, London to Hyderabad, Newark-Mumbai-Ahmedabad, AI flight from Singapore to Delhi, AI flight from Dhaka to Srinagar, Dammam to Kochi, Kuala Lumpur to Mumbai, Manila to Delhi, Muscat to Chennai, Dubai to Kannur, Dubai to Mangalore and Singapore-Bengaluru-Kochi.

Amidst the coronavirus pandemic, India is conducting 'Vande Bharat' Mission -- its biggest ever repatriation exercise since independence -- to bring back stranded Indians from abroad, including from the US, the UAE and the UK.

On the fifth day of Vande Bharat Mission, as many as 1,667 Indian nationals were repatriated from different countries in eight special flights.

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